The Forbidden Fruit
by Dragon's Fury 90999
Summary: Bella Swan is not your typical human; she's a Warrior Angel who hasn't found her charge. What'll happen when her charge is someone she least expects?
1. Chapter 1

The Forbidden Fruit

By realixweatherfairy

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Chapter 1: Getting Acquainted

Bella POV

My name is Isabella Swan, but you can call me Bella; and I'm not your typical human. In fact, I'm an Angel, a Warrior Angel. I use an illusion spell to look and smell human. As a human, I have brown eyes and long brown hair, and am average build, nothing special. However, in my Angel form, I have gray eyes, and silvery blonde hair, and a body that many female humans would kill to have.

I wasn't always an Angel; I was once human, but that was a very, _very_, long time ago. I barely even remember what it was like to be human. I may look like a normal teenager, but in fact, I'm well over 3,000 years old! I have seen things that no mortal could possibly understand.

Due to the fact that I look 17 on the outside, I have to have a guardian, to keep the mortals from becoming suspicious, so I live with another Angel who plays the part of my mom. Yes, Renee is an Angel, too; so is Charlie, Renee's ex-husband, but they're divorced now, and Renee is remarried to a mortal. Though I have no problem with it, the love-mush stuff that comes with a newlywed couple grates on my nerves. Especially since said mortal is Renee's charge.

Yes, even Warrior Angels have charges that they must protect. People who are being targeted by God's worst enemies: the Devil, his demons, and the Black Angels. The Black Angels are Angels who were once pure, but allied themselves with the Devil, tainting their once pure auras and powers, often destroying their own charges.

Normally one would think that God assigns us our charges; wrong! We have to find our charges; we're drawn to them and them to us; it's like a basic instinct to protect. Though Charlie and Renee have found their charges, I have not. Though that's fine with me, it does get kind of lonely once in a while. Though the three of us are all Angels, we are not from the same clan. There are four clans that rule a different point on the compass. The Blue Angels guard the North, the Red Angels guard the East, the Green Angels guard the South, and the Silver Angels, my clan, guard the West. I was the princess of my clan, but am now the only one left on Earth. The rest were destroyed by a Black Angel when I was young to the new life.

Since Phil, Renee's husband and charge, is an active basketball player, and not very good mind you, he travels a lot, but Renee always stayed home with me, and I could tell that she missed him. So, I told her that I would go live with my father, Charlie, for a while. After living with them for over 700 years, you kind of start thinking of them as your real parents; they took care of me when no one else would. So that's where I'm headed now; to the small town of Forks, Washington.

Of course, Angels are not the only supernatural beings on the planet. Many of the creatures that mortals have deemed myths and legends really do exist, such as the vampires for instance. Though many live in peace, once in a while the Angels have a little trouble with them, but nothing has happened the last two centuries. It's almost as if they've gone into hiding.

Normal POV

Walking of the airplane, the first thing that Bella noticed was Charlie's police cruiser. Charlie's cover was that of the Police Chief of the good people of Forks. Sometimes he took his job a little too seriously, but he was good at it; keeping the mortals in line while taking care of his charge, Billy. Normally, a male Angel is assigned a female charge but Charlie is one those rare ones that has a male charge. As you can probably guess, female Angels are normally assigned male charges. Walking over to Charlie, he gave her a hug, and said, "Hey, Kiddo, you look good."

"Thanks, Dad," Bella replied, "Did my car arrive alright? There weren't any problems, were there?" Bella owned a dark blue 911 Turbo Porsche that was very fast. Like all Angels, Bella loved anything to do with speed.

"Yes, it did," he answered, shaking his head, "Come on, let's go." The ride home was quiet, as they had nothing to say until Charlie broke the silence, "How has your practice with your powers been coming?"

Of course, being an Angel, one must have some really cool superpowers. Most Angels had telepathy, time control, supernatural super strength and speed, could read and sense auras, and control the elements, however, normally an Angel can only control one element; Bella, however, could control _all_ elements. For the last hundred years or so, Bella had been training to become stronger so that she could protect her charge when she found him.

"My telepathy has grown; I can now talk to people with my mind, as well as hear their thoughts," Bella answered, making Charlie's eyes widen. An Angel's telepathic abilities never really developed beyond moving things, but Bella had always been the strongest of their race; it was expected that she might have powers that other Angels might not. The rest of the ride was spent in silence, until they pulled up to Charlie's house.

"It's exactly as I remember it," Bella thought, "Nothing as changed," as she and Charlie brought her luggage up to her room. (It's just like in the book, just the computer is a laptop instead.) Dinner that night was a quiet affair as they had nothing to say. Though she didn't think she was really going to like living in Forks, Bella had the feeling that something was calling out to her, almost begging her to find them.

Meanwhile, while hunting with Emmett and Jasper, Edward stopped in his tracks. It felt as if something was calling out to him.

"What's up, Bro?" Emmett asked him.

"I don't know," he replied. The feeling he was getting was as if a part of him was calling out to someone, beckoning them to find him.

"I've never felt anything like this before," Edward thought as he returned to the hunt.

When she woke up the next morning, Bella still felt the feeling that something was calling out to her. As she stood up and went to get dressed, she stiffened as she remembered what this feeling was. This was the feeling that an Angel would get when their charge was nearby, making her think, "Has he been here the whole time?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Bella got dressed, wearing a dark blue tube top dress that came down to the middle of her thighs with a black belt that hung loosely off her hips, and dark blue high heeled wedge sandals with a ribbon that tied around her ankle and wore her long hair in a head band to keep it out of her face.

Later as she pulled into the school parking lot, Bella got the feeling that her charge was nearby again. Ignoring it, she walked into the building got her schedule and listened to the secretary as she highlighted the best way to get to each of her classes.

Her English class was a total snore. She'd read all the books that teacher wanted her to read; heck, she'd even met the authors! But they weren't supposed to know that. She'd kept an eye out for the boy who would be her charge, but he wasn't in any of her classes before lunch.

"I'll have to keep an eye out for him," Bella thought as she went to sit at a lunch table with some of the kids from her earlier classes. She'd already forgotten some of their names, but one of the boy's names was Mike and the other Eric. She could tell from their thoughts what they _really _thought of her. Sensing some weird auras, Bella turned around and searched the cafeteria, and sure enough, sitting at one of the tables in the far corner, was a group of five vampires. By their auras, she could tell that most of them were just a little over a century old, the youngest being a little over a hundred. The thought made her want to scoff; they were children compared to her. She was born in Ancient Egypt, as a human, a little over 3,000 years ago!

"God that makes me feel old!" Bella thought as she felt the feeling that her charge was nearby as she locked eyes with the youngest. Her eyes widened; the youngest vampire was her charge!

"No way! There's no way that that vampire is my charge!" Bella thought as she turned away. Turning to the girl from her Spanish class, Jessica if she remembered correctly, she asked, "Who are _they_?"

Apparently knowing from Bella's tone, Jessica said, "That is Alice, Emmett, and Edward Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale."

"They're gorgeous," Bella breathed, not believing her own tone.

"Yes, but they're all together though, Alice and Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie anyway. They're not really related; they're adopted. Edward Cullen is staring at you." Risking a peek, Bella noticed that indeed, the youngest was indeed staring at her. Glaring in his direction, she turned away and ignored him for the rest of lunch.

Getting the feeling of being beckoned again, Edward began scanning the cafeteria until he met a pair of the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen as he met the gaze of a human girl with long brown hair that went down to the bottom of her back and was pulled back by a dark blue headband, and was wearing a dark blue tube top dress that went down to the middle of her thighs with a black belt that hung loosely around her hips, and a pair of high heeled wedge sandals that matched her dress. He watched as her eyes widened before she turned away.

"Who is she?" he thought, tuning his mind into hers, only to hear nothing, which surprised him. He continued to stare at her until one of the people at her table told her that he was staring at her and her gaze met his again. The feeling that he should go to her rose within him and he had to fight to control himself. The glare that she sent in his direction told him very plainly that she very much so minded that attention that his gaze graced her with as she turned away from him again.

By now his brothers had noticed where his attention was and Emmett said, "That's the new girl, Bella Swan; the police chief's daughter."

"The police chief's daughter, huh?" Edward thought as he returned his gaze to her as the bell rang for class to begin. As he watched, Bella stood up and left the cafeteria without even looking at him.

Sitting in his chemistry class, Edward smelled a scent that sent the venom straight to his mouth; the scent of orchids and lilies. Looking around, he noticed the new girl, Bella, was standing in front of the classroom, talking to the teacher, who told her to sit next to him and she did, but she was scowling the whole time, giving Edward the impression that she didn't like him for some reason, which was fine by him. Many of the boys in their class were glaring at him with jealousy, as a feeling of possessiveness surged through Edward's veins, surprising him.

As Bella took her seat, she thought, "Man, I can't believe I have a class with _him_!" She noticed that he was trying to put as much space between him and her, which was alright with her, because she was doing the same thing. Once the bell rang for class to end, Edward was out the door, but not before he felt a surge of power from the classroom behind him, and stiffened, but kept walking.

The moment that Edward was about to walk out of the classroom door, Bella flared her aura, to see if she got a reaction. An Angel's charge was supposed to be able sense their Angel's aura and power. The moment that Edward had stiffened, she knew; Edward Cullen really was her charge. She didn't know what to think; Angels and vampires really were not allowed to interact with each other and most Angels were prejudiced against vampires and actively showed it, she couldn't really think of one Angel in the past that had a vampire for a charge.

After her last class that day, Bella walked into the office to drop off the slip that her teachers had had to sign, and saw Edward Cullen talking to the secretary; trying to get his sixth period chemistry class changed to another time. He hadn't noticed her entrance until the wind blew her scent across the room and he turned and made eye contact with her. Turning back to the secretary, he said, "Thank you, but I can see that it's impossible." and left, stealing a peek at Bella on the way out.

Walking up to the secretary, Bella nodded when she asked if she had had a good day, and walked to her car, noticing the silver Volvo that was beginning to pull out a few rows down. Ignoring Edward, Bella got into her car, pulled out, and drove down the driveway of the school. As she waited to turn, Bella noticed that Edward had pulled up to the sidewalk by the school to wait for his brothers and sisters; however his gaze was on her. Knowing that as a vampire, Edward's eyesight was ten times better than a human's, but as an Angel, Bella's eyesight was ten times better than his. To intimidate him a little, Bella released the illusion spell on her eyes, making them flash gray before returning to brown, causing him to narrow his eyes as she pulled away, speeding down the road while chuckling and drove home with a smirk on her face the whole time.

Edward had not been to school for a whole week. Despite what she had thought, Bella was worried. She had sworn to never accept him as her charge, yet she worried anyway. Everything about him fascinated her, and challenged her way of thinking. She could tell that he was one of the rare vampires that gained a gift when bitten, his brother, Jasper, and sister, Alice, were others that were gifted.

A week after her first day, Bella saw him sitting with his siblings again. He laughed and looked better than he had the week before, making Bella sigh with relief. He had looked thirsty then; then Bella realized something. She was what the vampires referred to as the Singer; her blood attracted Edward in a way that was dangerous, for a human at least.

Edward watched as Bella took her seat at her table, and noticed that she was looking in his direction with a look of relief, making him think, "Was she worried about me?" and immediately dismissed the thought as he thought, "She barely knows me, why would she worry about me?"

As he watched, Edward saw one of the boys at Bella's table, Mike Newton, giving her a look that he didn't like. Once again, the feeling of possessiveness and jealousy rose within him; as if he felt that he was the only one who should be looking at her like that. Then one of her friends said something that made her laugh.

"What a wonderful sound," Edward thought, "Almost like bells are chiming." Throughout the entire lunch period, he noticed that Bella wasn't glaring at him like she had been the week before.

As Bella took her seat in their chemistry class, she gave Edward a brilliant smile that made it hard for him to breathe and told him good afternoon; it seemed as if she was in a better mood that day.

"Maybe she was having a bad day the last time I saw her," Edward thought as he said, "Hello, my name is Edward Cullen."

"I'm Isabella Swan, you can call me Bella," she replied with a bright smile, "It's nice to meet you." Edward smiled at her as he thought, "It seems that she has forgiven me for being so rude last week."

The rest of the class was spent in pleasant chit chat; mostly Edward asked her questions about her, which she answered without a thought. She'd decided to give him a chance; when he wasn't thirsty, Edward was a pretty nice person.

"I don't think I should really involve myself with him, and just protect him from afar," Bella thought. She'd also decided to be a good little Angel, and do her duty. If Edward really was her charge, then he must be detrimental to the future and in some kind of danger. The thought of Edward in danger made her snort as she thought, "There's not many who can stand up to Edward's strength. He's stronger than even he gives himself credit for." On her way home that day, Bella wore a smile that would have blinded anyone.

Looking down on his most beloved daughter, God smiled and looked at his son, who was also smiling down on his favorite sister.

"It seems as if she's doing well, Father," Jesus commented.

"Yes, she is," God replied, "But tough and terrible times lie ahead, she will need all of her strength to protect her charge."

"May I ask why you allowed her to protect a vampire, Father?" Jesus asked, "Angels and vampires are the exact opposite of each other."

"Edward is detrimental to her future," God answered, "She needs him, just as he needs her. Bella's heart is pure, just as his is."


	2. Chapter 2

The Forbidden Fruit

By realixweatherfairy

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Chapter 2: Growing Closer

The next few months went by quickly, and before Bella knew it, it had begun to snow as the roads became slick with ice. The morning that the snow had begun to fall Bella woke up with the feeling that she shouldn't go to school that day, but she did anyway; for one reason: Edward would worry if she didn't.

Over the last few months the two of them had become very good friends, though it hadn't always been that way. In the beginning he had been absolutely set on them staying apart. At the time, she had been adamant about being his friend, but for the last few weeks, Bella had begun to regret that decision. She had been sensing impure auras that were normally associated with the Black Angels, and had started to worry that Edward would run into them when he was hunting. She still hadn't told him about her being an Angel, or that she knew that he was a vampire.

As she drove to school, Bella didn't have the trouble that the others did and once she got to school, she found out why. As she was about to turn away from her car, Bella noticed something silver on the tires. Bending down to get a better look, Bella noticed the chains that were crisscrossed into her tires. Charlie had gotten up who knows how early and put snow chains on her tires. When Bella stood up again, she had to fight the wave of emotion that came over her; she wasn't used to being taken care of like that. For almost every single year of her life, Bella had had to take care of herself.

In a single space of one minute, three things happened. A loud squeal sounded through the air, Bella noticed Edward standing four cars away from her, a look of horror marring his handsome features, and a blue van sliding on the ice, quickly coming towards her and her car. Using her Angel's powers, Bella rammed her shoulder against the van, leaving a huge dent in it, stopping it completely. Feeling faint, Bella fell to the ground; an Angel's powers are weakened when in human form. The last thing that Bella saw before she blacked out was Edward's face, looking concerned and horrorstruck.

When Bella woke up again, the paramedics were loading her into the ambulance. Opening her eyes the first thing she noticed was Edward sitting next to her with a look of confusion on his face as he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got ran over by a semi truck," she groaned. Chuckling slightly before his face became serious, Edward leaned over the bed that Bella was lying on and whispered so that only she would hear, "How did you do that?"

Bella panicked as she thought, "Should I tell him about being an Angel? Would he believe me or think I was crazy?" She decided to go with the safe route and didn't care if he was angry with her as she replied, "I can't tell you, Edward. I'm not allowed."

"Bella," he growled. Bella ignored him, feeling rejected at the moment and she thought, "I had been hoping that he hadn't noticed my odd behavior lately, but obviously he has."

Looking down at Bella, Edward could tell that there was something that she wasn't telling him as he thought, "Is she too afraid to tell me? She has been acting really weird lately; she keeps acting like there's someone following her. It feels as if I'm losing her. It is so frustrating that I can't hear her thoughts!"

As if she had sensed his frustration, Bella whispered, "I wish I could tell you, Edward, but you're happier not knowing. My life is complicated," making him think, "Happier not knowing what? What is so scary that she thinks that I'm happier in my ignorance?" Edward nodded once, but did not reply, making Bella's eyes dim as she said, "Maybe someday, I'll be able to tell you," making Edward stiffen at the rejected tone of her voice.

For the next four weeks, Edward and Bella completely avoided each other; both thinking that it was for the best. Though he was avoiding her, it didn't mean that Edward didn't think or worry about her; every time he went hunting he would pray to whatever gods existed that she was safe, and she did the same when he was not in class with her.

When a girl's choice dance was announced, Edward began to secretly hope that Bella would stop avoiding him and ask him to go with her. He couldn't help but overhear when Mike, Eric, and Tyler, the guy who hit her, asked her to go with them, and he could feel the jealousy running wild through his veins again, but couldn't deny the relief that he felt when she rejected them all with an annoyed look on her face.

"Damn school dance," Bella thought as she rejected Mike and told him that she would be in Seattle that day and that he should ask Jessica. "I needed to go to Seattle anyway."

Jessica and Angela had asked the day before if she could go with them to Portland and help them find dresses, and she had agreed. Angela and Jessica had decided to drive themselves, while Bella drove herself. After about an hour of helping Jessica and Angela find their dresses, shoes, and jewelry, they had decided that they should go visit the beach; well, Angela and Jessica did, but Bella went for a drive. Though she loved Jess, she didn't that an hour of talking about nothing but the dance and Mike was good for anyone's health.

As Bella drove she thought about her life. After 3,000 years of life, she had never found anyone who intrigued her as much as Edward Cullen had. She had lived through the Civil War, both World Wars, and the Gulf War and she had never ever found someone that made her feel the way she did about Edward. Not even when she was a princess of Egypt did she find someone like Edward. It made her really confused.

As the sun started to go down, Bella stiffened as she sensed that her charge was in danger. Groaning she thought, "Does that boy know when to stay out of trouble?," and began driving in his direction to find that Edward was being cornered by four Angels and were saying some very mean things as she pulled up.

Edward followed Bella's car as she drove to Portland; instead of driving his car, Edward had decided to run since he hadn't in a while. His clothes hid his features until it was dark enough that he could take off his hood and walk down the street like the rest of the mortals. Edward was worried about Bella; the girl seemed like the type who could find trouble like a magnet.

As he walked down the street, Edward never noticed that he was being tailed by four men with weird auras that were similar to Bella's until he went down another street, still looking for Bella since she was no longer with Jessica and Angela anymore, and they pushed him against a wall, much to his surprise.

"Why would a monster like you need _her_ help?" one of the men sneered.

"Vampires don't deserve our help," another agreed, before any of the rest could say anything, a dark car speeding up the street and pulled up next to them. As the window rolled down, Edward immediately recognized Bella, who glared at the men as she growled, "Get in, Edward." Knowing better than to protest when she was angry, Edward quickly passed the men who had been harassing him, though he didn't know why, and got into Bella's Porsche and she sped away, driving faster than he normally would. The silence that had fallen over the two began to scare Edward as he asked, "Bella, are you alright?"

"No," she growled before asking, "Are _you_ alright?"

"Just peachy, since just about five minutes ago, I was minding my own business and was harassed by some men that I didn't even know," Edward said.

"I'm sorry about that," Bella said.

"Do you know why they were harassing me?" Edward asked.

"Yes," she replied. Edward was about to open his mouth to say something as Bella continued, "I will explain later; I'm going to have to turn around as Jess and Angela are getting worried about me." He didn't reply as she turned the car around and headed back to the restaurant that she and the other girls were to meet up at, to find them pacing in front of it with worried expressions on their faces.

Once Bella pulled up, Jessica and Angela looked relieved and walked over and said, "Bella! We were getting worried; we're sorry but we already went ahead and ate without you." Smiling her bright smile, Bella replied, "That's okay; I'm just going to go ahead and get something to eat. You girls can go ahead and head home; I'll see you at school tomorrow," as they nodded and headed to Jessica's car and drove off.

Heading into the restaurant, Bella and Edward were immediately seated in the back booth, and ordered two cokes and some food. For the longest time, they just sat there and stared at each other, before Edward said, "I'm surprised."

"Surprised? At what?" she replied.

"That you're not going into shock about saving your male friend from harassment," Edward answered.

"I've seen worse," Bella retorted.

"Oh, really," Edward said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"You don't know me, Edward, you don't know one thing about me," Bella growled angrily, which caught him by surprise as she fell silent as the waitress brought the drinks and said that the food would be done momentarily. As she walked away, Edward replied, "I would if you just told me, instead of keeping secrets."

"You don't want to know everything about me, Edward," Bella warned, "My life is complicated."

"But I do," he replied, "You have no idea how hard it is to keep track of you. It's like keeping you safe is full time occupation."

Eyes becoming wary as she bit her lip and whispered, "What if it's supposed to be the other way around?" Looking at her with confusion, Edward asked, "What?"

"What if I'm supposed to be the one keeping track of you?" Bella repeated, making his topaz eyes go wide.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. Closing her eyes and sighing, Bella said, "I'm not as human as you think I am. I haven't been human in over 3,000 years."

"What are you then? A vampire?" he whispered.

"No, I'm something else," she replied, "I'm an Angel."

"A what?" Edward breathed his eyes widening again.

"An Angel, more specifically a Warrior Angel," Bella said, "I have powers you can't possibly imagine."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, "And what do you mean by powers?"

"I'll tell you on the way home," Bella replied, "Too many wandering ears."

"Earlier, when you said you knew why they were harassing me," Edward said, changing the subject, "What did you mean by that?"

"The men who were harassing you, Edward, were also Angels, like me, but they, like many of my kind, harbor intense hatred for vampires," Bella answered grimly, "and they aren't afraid of acting out against them."

"They said something that I didn't need her help; what were they talking about," Edward demanded.

"They were talking about me," Bella replied, making Edward confused as he started, "But…" but before he could finish his question, Bella interrupted, "Guardian Angels aren't the only ones who have charges, you know. Warrior Angels do too, only our charges are more high priority, than theirs are; people who are detrimental to the development of our future and are targets of our worst enemies. You want to know why they were saying that, Edward; it's because you are my charge." Edward's eyes widened with surprise; he was detrimental to the future?

"Why would someone like me be detrimental to the future?" Edward whispered.

"I don't know," Bella said, "God doesn't give us our charges; we have to find them on our own; it's like the basic instinct to protect. We are drawn to them and they are drawn to us. It's as simple as that. Remember the feeling that you were being beckoned? That's what that was." Edward's eyes widened again, this time with understanding as he asked, "Tell me why you were so mad before?"

"An Angel's charge is their life," Bella answered, "If their charge is put into danger in any way, the Angel's need to protect is flared to life with a vengeance. Hell hath no fury like an angered Angel. The bond between Angel and charge is a very complex one; an Angel can sense when her charge is near, their emotions, or when they're in trouble; just as the charge can sense their Angel's presence and power, as well as their emotions as well." Bella fell silent as the waitress came back with the food that she had ordered. Edward sat quietly watching Bella eat her food as he said, "Bella, there's something that you need to know."

Already knowing what he was going to say, Bella interrupted, "I already know."

Eyes widening again, Edward asked, "How?!"

"Angel thing," she replied, "I'll explain in the car." Nodding, Edward remained silent as Bella ate her food, allowing all he had heard to sink in, unknowingly being watched closely by Bella. After she finished eating, Bella said, "Are you ready?" and he nodded, eager to get to the car and get his answers and they left. Getting in the car, Bella turned on the ignition and drove off, while turning to Edward and saying, "Now you may ask the questions that have been burning up your brain all night."

"You said that you haven't been human in over 3,000 years," Edward said, "Explain that please."

"I was born approximately 3,034 years ago in the place known today as Ancient Egypt," Bella answered, "Of course, I wasn't born an Angel; I was once as human as you once were, but I died. My father was Pharaoh Ramses the Fourth of the Upper Kingdom, and I was named Nefertari, and then there was the one person who ruined it all: my father's mistress, Kanika. He loved her almost as much as he had loved my mother, who had died giving birth to me, and had planned to marry her, but she was in love with his priest of the dead, Odji. Together they murdered him, but not before they murdered me for interfering."

"You tried to save him," Edward breathed. Bella nodded a tear running down her cheek, and said, "Next question."

"Your powers?" Edward asked.

"I, like you, have the power of telepathy, but mine's more pronounced," Bella replied, "I can move things with my mind, whereas you can't; however, like you, I can read a person's mind and speak to them with my mind. I can control time, have supernatural super strength and speed. I can read and sense auras, and I can control the four elements."

"I've already seen part of what you can do," Edward said.

"Yes, but that is only part of my strength," Bella replied, "When in human form, we still have our powers, but they're greatly weakened."

"Human form?"

"My human self that you see before you is nothing but an illusion of what I looked like when I _was _human," Bella explained.

"What about Charlie and Renee?" Edward asked.

"They're Angels, too, but they're Blue Angels," Bella answered.

"Blue?"

"There are four clans of Angels, one clan rules one point on the compass," Bella explained, "The Blue Angels rule the North, the Red Angels rule the East, the Green Angels rule the South, and the Silver Angels, my clan, ruled the West. Each clan of Angels also has an element that they're attuned to, Blue to water, Red to fire, Green to earth, and Silver to air, but I, however, am attuned to all elements, something that no Angel has ever had before."

"You said that the Silver Angels ruled the West?"

"I am the last of my clan," Bella answered sadly, "You see, God chooses who is reborn as an Angel, those who are pure of heart and have not yet fulfilled their purpose. But not all of those chosen stay pure of heart, there are those who have turned against God, and their fellow Angels; we call them the Black Angels, Angels who were once pure but have allied themselves with the Devil, God's worst enemy, and have tainted themselves and their powers, making them slightly weaker than a pure Angel's, destroying their charges along with them. Six years after I was reborn, as the princess of my clan, a Black Angel named Kaira, who was my older sister, destroyed my clan while my mother placed a barrier around me to keep me from joining the fight."

"I would hope so!" Edward said.

Shaking her head, Bella continued, "Angels are born with instinctual control over their powers and are taught to fight at a very early age, almost as soon as they can walk. As I was saying, she refused to let me join the fight, therefore, I watched my entire clan die in front of me without being able to do anything about it." Edward, not knowing what to say, just stared at her while thinking, "She has been through so much; seen much more than any person alive, and yet after watching her entire clan die right before her eyes as a child, she's still so bright and pure hearted. How could such a wonderful person be meant to protect me?"

"You never told me how you knew that I was a vampire," Edward stated after a few moments.

"I could tell by your aura, Edward," Bella explained quietly, "The aura of vampires and Angels are relatively different than a human's, so it's not hard to differentiate a vampire's aura from a human's. I could also tell that you were a gifted. I also know that my blood appeals to you more than any other's could; there's a lot that I know about you, Edward." Pulling up to his house, Bella looked at him with apprehension.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Edward asked, looking her right in the eye.

"Would you have believed me?" she replied, uncertainty shining in her eyes, like she thought that she had told him too much. Not able to look away from her, Edward asked, "Will I ever see the true you?"

Smiling brightly, Bella said, "Maybe, now you better get inside before your family becomes too worried." Looking at her smile, Edward found it hard to breathe, not that he needed to, but it was like this woman had absolute control over him. Getting out of the car, Edward turned back to look at her as she drove away, going what looked like 200 miles per hour.

Turning around and walking into his house, Edward was immediately met by Esme, who despite looking thirsty, looked insanely worried. The others stood not too far away from the door, looking thirsty and bored as if they had known that he would show up eventually.

"Edward, where have you been?" Esme demanded standing in front of him with her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised. Looking at the woman he considered his mother, Edward shook his head and thought of Bella. She reminded him so much of Esme; beautiful, caring, kind, and a hellcat when she was angry. Whenever he thought of Bella, he wasn't able to breathe, even if he didn't need to, his blood would run cold at the thought of Bella ever dying for any reason; Edward knew that if Bella was ever hurt, that he would probably hunt down the person who hurt her and kill them for it.

"With Bella," he replied as Rosalie growled and Emmett said, "She knows, doesn't she?"

"Apparently, she's always known; since her first day," Edward replied solemnly, making Rosalie growl again while turning her black eyes towards him and hissing at the same time.

"How?" Jasper asked his eyes becoming suspicious, "Is she one too?"

"No," Edward said, "Apparently, she's an Angel." His family, all except for Carlisle, who wasn't home at the moment, and Alice, looked at him weirdly.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth; I've seen part of what she can do," Edward continued, "She's just as strong as I am, if not stronger than Emmett. She can run just as fast as me, if her driving is anything to go by. She can read and sense auras, has power of the elements, and is telepathic, like me, but she can move things with her mind and she can use her mind as a means of communication, not only that but she can control time too."

"Are you sure that you can trust her though," Esme asked.

"Mom, there's nothing to worry about from Bella," Alice said while chuckling with an evil look on her face, like she knew something that everyone else didn't.

"You already knew didn't you, Alice" Edward demanded.

"Maybe," Alice smirked as he glared at her and thought, "I know more about her than you do, brother. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to young Bella."

"I heard that, Alice," Edward griped as he glared at her again, "And what do you know about Bella that I don't?"

"Only the things that she tells me," Alice replied, "I just don't think about it, well, there's that and she blocks anything that has to do with her past from you until she's ready to tell you herself."

"What else could there possibly be?" Edward demanded.

"I'm not allowed to tell you," Alice replied coolly, "Bella'll be mad at me if I told you before she had a chance to tell you herself, and trust me, she's scary when she's mad, even scarier than you are, little brother."

"And how long have you and Bella been friends, may I ask?" Jasper asked raising his eyebrow, even he hadn't heard anything about this, and it made his blood run cold.

"Since her first day of school," Alice said, "We've never really talked face to face, but somehow we were able to connect mentally. I don't know how to really explain it. It's like I know Bella from a long time ago, but I can't remember where. It's as if I should remember her but I don't. It's all so confusing."

"Well, we all need to go hunting, so we can continue this conversation when your father gets home," Esme said as Alice and the others followed her out the door.

Looking down on the Cullens, God could tell that the pieces were falling into place, that soon Bella would realize that she was bonded to the Cullens in more ways than one.

"Father, I can tell when you're up to something," his son said as Jesus walked up to him.

"You know me too well, my Son," God smiled at his oldest child, "Alice and Bella are bonded in more ways than just that of friendship, even if Alice doesn't remember, and Bella was too young to remember."

"Bonded, Father?" Jesus asked, his eyes widening.

"Bella never had just one older sister; Alice disappeared for the longest time until I realized that she had given up her Angel's powers and turned into a mortal," God explained, "She ended up in mental institution for having visions of the future when the human family she was living with admitted her. The rest as they say is history; Bella and Alice will figure this all out in due time."

"What will Bella think when she finds out that Alice is really her older sister?" Jesus asked worriedly.

"I don't know, Son, we'll just have to watch and find out," God answered returning his gaze to his favorite daughter and thought, "The trials ahead, young one, will be long and hard, but I know that I can depend on you to follow your heart and know what you must do. You have much more power than you even acknowledge; I just hope that you'll know what to do with it when the time comes."


	3. Chapter 3

The Forbidden Fruit

By realixweatherfairy

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, though I'm trying to stick to the plot as much as possible

Chapter 3: Feelings

Pulling into her driveway, Bella sighed with relief; she felt incredibly relieved that the truth was out between her and Edward. She'd hated keeping secrets, especially from him, who had deserved to hear it most. Getting out of her car, Bella walked up to the front door of her house to meet with Charlie who had a grim look on his face.

"So Edward knows the truth now," Charlie stated. Though he had no problem with vampires, it didn't mean that he thought that Angels should be interacting with them.

"Yes," Bella replied and walked past him into the house Charlie following her.

"You do know that the Black Angels are watching us, don't you?"

"Of course, I do," Bella scowled.

"Edward will be in danger if you don't stay away from him," Charlie urged.

"Are you saying that I can't protect my own charge, Charlie?" Bella snapped.

"No, what I'm saying is that it's dangerous and to be as careful as you can, Princess," Charlie answered, "They can destroy him just as easily as they can destroy you," and he walked into his room and went to sleep. Bella stood in the threshold of her room for a few minutes, thinking, "Maybe I should stay away from Edward, and just protect him from afar, but I can't bring myself to do it. Just thinking about not talking to him again makes my heart ache." She walked into her room, changed into her pajamas, and went to bed.

The next morning as Edward walked out the door, he was surprised to see Bella leaning against her car, wearing a black sweater that stopped at her shoulders and a white tank top underneath it, and dark blue jeans and black high heeled boots. Her long brown hair was down and it shined as some stray rays of sunlight hit it, making it glow. When she looked at him, the smile she gave him neared blinded him, but he smiled in return and walked toward her.

"Why don't you ride with me today?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. Suddenly dumbfounded, Edward simply nodded before getting the passenger side and she in the driver's side and drove off as his brothers and sisters came out the door and watched them leave while shaking their heads.

As she drove, Bella was very conscious of the fact that Edward was staring at her. Every time that he looked at her, her heart stopped beating and her breathing slowed down. Turning on the radio, she tried to ignore the feeling that she was getting; that she was in love for the first time in 3,000 years. Her eyes widened as she came to a realization: she was in love with Edward Cullen!

"How could I fall in love with my own charge?!" Bella thought as she turned her face away from Edward's view while blushing. Edward looked at her with confusion on his face while cursing the fact that he couldn't read her thoughts like he could with the others.

"Bella?"

"Yes, Edward," Bella replied.

"Are you really going to Seattle on Saturday or was that just an excuse to say no to all of your admirers?"

"I don't know," Bella said, "Why?"

"Well, I thought that maybe we could go somewhere together," Edward replied, "So that we could talk more privately."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Bella answered, keeping her eyes on the road as she pulled into the school's parking lot. After finding a space, Bella parked the car and was about to get out when Edward took her face in his hand and kissed her forehead, making her blush as he whispered, "I wish I could know the _real_ you, Bella," before opening her car door and getting out. Bella couldn't move for the longest time before she could get out of the car and calm her breathing; for some reason, Edward Cullen had the weirdest effect on her.

The next two days went by so fast that Bella didn't know where the time had gone. It was the day that she and Edward were to go somewhere together, and she, despite herself, was incredibly excited. Though she had decided to tell Edward that she couldn't have anything to do with him anymore, besides his protector; no matter how much it broke her heart to do so. Waking up that morning, Bella dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans, a kimono style top that had cherry blossoms on it, and sandals.

Going downstairs, she opened the door and walked out towards her car to be met with the sight of Edward leaning against it, looking as much like a god as ever, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt. The way he looked at her made her melt, making it impossible for her to form any sort of coherent thought.

"Good morning," he said with a soft voice.

"Morning," Bella replied, getting into the driver's seat as he got into the passenger seat; it had been agreed earlier in the week that Bella would drive. It seemed that Bella had indeed known more about him than he realized. She was able to get them where they were going faster than he normally got there. Coming up to the trail, Bella got out of the car with Edward following her.

"Lead the way, Edward," Bella said as he led her into the forest. It wasn't long until they came into a clearing. They stayed silent for the longest time until Bella said, "Edward."

"Yes," he replied with a soft smile at her that made her regret her decision.

"There's something that I didn't tell you when I told you what I am," Bella continued making him look at her, "For a long time now, I've been sensing tainted auras that can normally be associated with the Black Angels. It's why I was avoiding you. They use the people their targets are close to in order to destroy them, and with an Angel, they destroy said Angel's charge."

"You were worried that they'd come after me," Edward realized, "But, Bella, I'm a lot stronger than they are."

"Edward! Have you forgotten what I said about slightly weakened powers," Bella replied, the stress apparent in her voice, "Yes, indeed, you are stronger … than a regular mortal. An Angel is ten times stronger than you are and a Black Angel is about five times stronger than you," making him raise an eyebrow as she turned around and touched a tree, though it looked like she just poked it with no more force than if she was gently caressing it, the tree fell down to the forest ground, making his eyes go wide as she was by his side in less than half a second.

"Bella?"

"Hm," she replied solemnly.

"There's more to what you wanted to say, isn't there?" Edward asked his eyes covered with his bangs.

"I was going to say that we can't stay together," Bella said sadly.

"Why not? Because you think that you can't protect me? Or is it because you don't trust me?" Edward demanded turning around to face her.

"No, it's just that …" Bella replied, shaking with fear, but not of Edward, that her unspoken feelings for Edward were going to get him killed. Seeing that she couldn't get anything else out, he place his hand against her cheek and rubbed his thumb against the skin underneath her eye, making her look him in the eye.

"Bella, I love you; I couldn't stay away from you if I tried," Edward told her as he gently ran his lips against her cheek, making her blush as she laid her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her. Edward held her as she whispered, "I love you, too, Edward," making him pull her closer. They stayed like that for a long time till Bella pulled back and said, "Didn't you say that you wanted to know the real me?"

He nodded as the human girl he had come to know as Bella was replaced by a beautiful young woman with silver blond hair, gray eyes, and curvy figure, wearing the same clothes that Bella had been wearing only moments before. A long thin blue bead hung from her bangs in the middle of her forehead and her skin, though it had been beautiful before, was now a porcelain cream color with slightly pink cheeks; her lips as dark as the reddest rose. Placing his hand against her head, Edward noticed that Bella's ears were no longer rounded, but pointed like an elf's.

Suddenly a gust of wind made Bella stiffen as she whipped around to come face to face with a young woman with long black hair and black eyes wearing a black tube top, black dress pants, and black high heels.

"Black Angel," Bella growled narrowing her eyes at the woman.

"Nuisance," the Black Angel answered her eyes blank.

"What do you want, Ebony?" Bella demanded, placing herself between Ebony and Edward.

"My mistress, Kaira, wished me to give you a message," the girl named Ebony replied her eyes as emotionless as before.

"What does that traitor want?" Bella demanded.

"Only to tell you not to get too comfortable," Ebony replied before disappearing. Bella continued growling as she began pacing. Edward was surprised in the change in her; with one word, Bella could be sent into fit of rage.

"Bella?" making her turn to him, her eyes flashing blue in her anger and instantly calmed as she looked at him, her eyes returning to a stormy gray. Sighing she said, "We need to go." Once returning to the car, Edward asked, "Wasn't Kaira the one who destroyed your clan?"

"Yes," she replied as they got into the car and sped away.

"What's wrong?"

"The reason my clan was destroyed was because Kaira was jealous of the power I held, even as a small child," Bella answered, "She was trying to destroy me, but ended up destroying everything that I ever loved instead. For three years after my clan was destroyed, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep; every time I closed my eyes, I saw my friends dying in front of me while I watched, unable to do anything."

"You think it's your fault that they're gone," Edward breathed. Bella couldn't look him in the eye; though she knew what he said was true. Everyone in her clan had been surprised when she showed that she had power not only over air, like all Silver Angels did, but water, fire, and earth as well. They had realized how powerful she was, and had begun her training immediately as soon as she was old enough. Her parents then focused all their attention on her, not on her older sister, Kaira, who she had looked up to. Kaira had hated being shown up by her little sister Isabella (pronounced like the Spanish version, esa-beya) and had turned against them due to jealousy and became a Black Angel.

"It's not your fault, Bella," Edward said as she looked him in the eye and pulled into her driveway. Edward got out of the car and walked up to the house and was about to get the key to unlock the door, but it opened on its own. Watching him stiffen, Bella chuckled, making him look at her with apprehension in his eyes which only served to make her laugh harder. Shaking his head, Edward gently scooped Bella up and carried her into the house while chuckling himself.

"Um, Edward, how did you know that the key was under the rug?" Bella asked breathlessly. He stiffened again; not sure how to answer, but Bella figured it out and blushed as he put her down,

"I was curious about you," he replied.

"You spied on me?" she said raising her eyebrow while trying not to laugh as they walked into the kitchen and he took a seat. "How often?"

"Huh?"

"How often did you come here?" Bella repeated. He looked apprehensive when he replied, "I come here every night."

Why?"

"What else is there to do at night?" Edward said, "And you're interesting when you sleep. You talk." Suddenly self conscious, Bella stopped in her tracks and blushed as she whispered, "No!" and turned away from him; never noticing his expression change as he whispered, "Are you angry with me?" Turning around, Bella's eyes narrowed at him as she replied, "It depends!"

"On?"

"What you heard!" Bella answered, looking fierce with embarrassment. His eyes widened as he was at her side instantly, taking her hands in his and said, "Don't be upset!" Bella found that she couldn't look at him.

"You miss Renee," Edward continued, "You worry about her. When it rains, the sound makes you restless. You also used to talk about home a lot, but it's not so much now. You even said, "It's too green" once." Bella could tell that he was trying not to offend her any further as she demanded, "Anything else that I should know about?"

Knowing what she was getting at Edward said, "You said my name." Suddenly horrified, she asked, "A lot?"

"It depends on your definition of "a lot""

"Oh dear," Bella sighed as she blushed and turned away. Edward pulled her against him until she was flush against his chest and said, "Don't be self conscious; if I could dream at all, it would be about you and I'm not ashamed of it." Bella's heart began pound as they heard Charlie coming up the drive.

"Should Charlie know I'm here?" Edward asked urgently.

"Um, I'm not sure," Bella said uncertain.

"Another time then, but won't he sense me?"

"Not in my room; there's a barrier around it to where no one can sense anything inside the room or out," Bella replied as Edward disappeared. Charlie walked in as Bella fixed up his dinner as they both let down their illusion spells. Charlie had light blue hair, and dark blue eyes, and a muscular build; he looked like he could be in his early twenties. When a chosen one dies and is reborn as an Angel, they grow like any other child until the age that they died as a human, and stop aging at that time; Bella had died at the age of 17 while Charlie had died at the age of 23.

"Thanks, Bells," he said, as she nodded at him, "How was your day? Did you get everything done that you wanted to?"

"No, it was too nice out to stay indoors," she replied, finishing her dinner and Charlie said, "It's Saturday; are you sure you don't have any plans, Bells?"

"No, Charlie, I don't," Bella groaned, why did it have to be his night to pay attention?

"None of the boys in town your type, huh?"

"No, Charlie," Bella said.

"I thought maybe that Mike Newton, you told me that he was friendly."

"He's just a friend, Charlie," Bella griped.

"Well, you're too good for them all, anyway. Good night, Bells."

"Good night, Charlie," Bella said as she ran up the stairs and entered her room which looked empty.

"Edward?" she called. He suddenly appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her, literally making her jump out of her bones. "Sorry, Bella; didn't mean to scare you."

"Really?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Shaking her head and chuckling, Bella continued, "Even though we both know that I'm not human, I'll need a minute," and left the room and went to the bathroom and hurriedly brushed her teeth but the hot water in the shower couldn't be rushed; it relaxed her muscles and leaving her with a very serene feeling. She tried not to think of Edward in her room waiting for her, because then she had to try to calm her heartbeat again. Once she was done, she pulled on a black tank top and a pair of black silk pajama bottoms and headed back to her room where Edward was sitting on the edge of her bed, right where she had left him, looking as much like a god as ever as she smiled at him earning a grin in return.

"Nice pajamas," Edward said with a smirk. Nodding at him, Bella sat next to him on her bed. Edward raised his hand and gently caressed her cheek making her look at him. Trapped in his gaze, it was impossible for Bella to form a coherent question as he laid his head against her neck. It took a few minutes before Bella could collect her thoughts enough to say, "It doesn't seem as hard for you to be near me anymore."

"Does it look that way to you?" he replied moving so that his lips were at the hollow of her ear.

"It does," Bella answered, "I wonder why that is?"

"Mind over matter," Edward said as he laughed, "I almost couldn't stop myself when we first met."

"I remember," Bella replied, "You couldn't have hurt me if you tried, Edward, not because I'm so much stronger than you, but because I'm immune to vampire venom."

"Immune?"

"Though an Angel is not human," Bella explained, "It doesn't mean that we're not unsusceptible to poisons. In fact, our immune system is a lot less tolerant of poison; if an Angel is poisoned, it is almost impossible to save them. The poison travels too quickly through our blood, but if any wounds we have heal before the poison takes full effect, we become immune to that poison."

"You've been bitten by a vampire," Edward breathed.

"Yes, a long time ago, not long after my clan was destroyed," Bella replied, "After my clan was destroyed, I was discovered by a vampire coven and lived with them for the longest time, during that time, the vampire who sort of become my surrogate father bit me so that I could become immune to the venom."

"You let him," Edward growled.

"He asked my permission," Bella said, noticing his obvious anger at this, "He didn't want me to die because I had accidentally been bitten by a member of his coven, even though they all knew that it was forbidden."

"He loved you," Edward realized.

"Yes," Bella replied as she nodded.

"I apologize for the way I was acting when we first met," Edward said, changing the subject, "It was unforgivable for me to behave that way."

Chuckling, Bella replied, "Not unforgivable," making him smile and say, "Thank you. When we first met, though you appealed to me more than any other, even then the thought of what I could have done, it haunted me. I couldn't bear to hurt you. Remember the time in the cafeteria on your first day?" Bella nodded in reply before he continued, "I didn't know why, but I knew you were special; that you would change my life in ways that even I couldn't comprehend, but at the time, I thought you hated me."

"When a charge finds their Angel, they are drawn to them," Bella replied, "and the Angel is drawn to them. Back then I was in denial. As I told you before, relations between my kind and yours aren't exactly pleasant; you've seen that for yourself. I have no problems with vampires, as I told you before I was raised by one, but there has never been one Angel in the history of my race that has had a vampire for a charge; the idea that a vampire would need a body guard of sorts is ridiculous." Edward nodded in understanding before she continued, "But as time went by I remembered something that my adoptive father told me, Expect the unexpected, and you being my charge caught me off guard and I refused to believe it for the longest time. I never hated you, Edward; it was more surprise than anything else."

Edward nodded as he continued, "But still at the time, there was still the possibility that I might be overcome. I was still susceptible; until I made up my mind that I _was_ strong enough; that there was no way that I could ever… that I ever would…"

Seeing struggle for words made Bella smile; it made him seem so human, before she replied, "So there's no possibility then?"

"Mind over matter," Edward repeated with a grin before Bella jokingly said, "Wow; that was easy," mimicking a Staples commercial and making him throw his head back and laugh quietly before saying, "Easy for _you_," before his face went serious and continued, "I'm trying, Bella; I'm sure that if it gets to be too much, I'll be able leave." Bella's face went cold; she never did like the talk of leaving.

"It will be harder tomorrow; I've had your scent in my head all day and I've grown amazingly desensitized. If I leave you for any amount of time, I might have to start over, not precisely from scratch, I think."

"Don't go then," Bella said, almost not able to hide the hurt in her voice at the thought of Edward leaving her.

Chuckling, Edward replied, "That's fine with me; bring on the shackles, I'm your prisoner," making Bella shake her head as he wrapped his hand around her wrists and laughed, the sound made Bella's heart speed up. In all the time that she had spent with him, Edward had never laughed as much as he had tonight.

"You seem more … optimistic than usual," Bella stated, "I don't think I've ever seen you like this before," making him smile and say, "Isn't this supposed to be like this? The glory of first love and all that; it's incredible, isn't it? There's so much difference between reading about it, seeing it in movies, and actually experiencing it?"

"Yes, very different," Bella agreed, "More forceful than I'd ever imagined," before he continued, "For example, jealousy. I've read about it a thousand times, seen actors portray it in a thousand different play and movies. I thought that I understood that one pretty well, but I was shocked. Do you remember the day that Mike asked you to the dance?" when she nodded he continued, "I was surprised by the flare of resentment, almost anger that I felt. I couldn't recognize what it was at first. It was more aggravating than usual that I couldn't hear your thoughts; why you refused him? Was it simply for your friend's sake or was there someone else? I knew that I had no right to care; I tried not to care. And then the line started forming," making Bella scowl in the darkness, "I waited anxiously to hear what you would say to them, to watch your expressions, and I couldn't deny the relief I felt watching the annoyance on your face, but I couldn't be sure."

"That was the first time I came here. I wrestled all night, while watching you sleep, with the chasm between what I knew was right, moral, and ethical, and what I wanted. I knew that if I continued to ignore you as I knew I should at the time, or if I left for a few years until you were gone, that you would someday say yes to Mike or somebody like him; it made me furious. And then as you were sleeping, you whispered my name. You had spoken so clearly that I had thought that you had woken up, but you rolled over restlessly, and said my name again and sighed. The feeling that ran through me was staggering and unnerving, and I knew that I couldn't ignore you anymore … But jealousy, it's a strange thing. So much more powerful and irrational; just now when Charlie asked you about that vile Mike Newton…" He drifted off as he shook his head angrily.

"I should have known that you would be listening," Bella chuckled.

"Of course."

"And that made you jealous, really?" Bella replied, raising an eyebrow, making him chuckle as he said, "You're resurrecting the human in me, even if you're not human yourself, and it feels so much stronger because it's new to me."

"But seriously," Bella teased, "For that to bother you, when I have to know that Rosalie – Rosalie, the incarnation of pure beauty, _Rosalie_ was meant for you. Emmett or no Emmett, there's no way that I can compete with that."

"There is no competition," Edward said, "Though Rosalie is beautiful in her own way, however, even if she wasn't like a sister to me, even if Emmett didn't belong with her, she couldn't have one tenth, no scratch that, one-one thousandth of the attraction you hold for me. For a little over a hundred years, I've walked among my kind, your kind, and mortals, all the while thinking that I was complete within myself, never realizing what I was looking for, and not finding it because I hadn't met you yet," making Bella chuckle.

"Don't worry; this is as new for me as it is for you," Bella said, "Never once in 3,000 years have I ever felt the way I feel about you, not for anyone," making him smile at her as he pulled her against his chest and held her for a few moments, before pulling her to lay down next to him and he whispered, "Do you want me to sing you to sleep?"

"No, I'm fine," she replied before smirking, "You have more questions," making his eyes widen as he nodded before she continued, "I can answer a few before I fall asleep."

"What was you childhood like? I barely remember mine."

"At first it was very busy, I was pretty much training since before I could walk straight, and after my clan was destroyed, a vampire coven found me alone with dead people surrounding me, with a haunted look on my face. The vampires took pity on me, and brought me home to live with them, but one in particular seemed to like spending time with me; he was the one who sort of became my surrogate father, he raised me until the Red Angels found me and took me to live with another clan across the sea. I was in Europe at the time; when my clan was destroyed, we were living in Japan, and were on our way to visit our European cousins. After that I was moved from home to home until the leader of the Blue Angel clan decided that I should live with Renee and Charlie who were married at the time, though I looked old enough that I could live by myself."

"How old are you?" Edward asked.

"Seventeen."

"How long have you been seventeen exactly?" he urged.

"You know the answer to that," Bella replied, "When a chosen one is reborn, they age as normal children do, until the age they died as a human, then they stop aging completely." Bella yawned involuntarily as he said, "Go to sleep, Bella. I'll be here when you wake up," and she fell asleep with Edward's arms wrapped around her.


	4. Chapter 4

The Forbidden Fruit

By realixweatherfairy

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the rest of the series! I don't own the song that Bella sings later in the chapter either; its Celine Dion's Because You Loved Me!

Chapter 4: The Cullens

The bright rays that escaped the clouds were what woke Bella the next morning; she lay with one arm over her eyes, hoping that sleep would return to her, before the memories of the day before washed over her, like an ice cold bath.

"Ah!" she gasped as she sat up; a movement that made her head spin. A silent chuckle coming from the right alerted her attention that Edward was still in the room as he said, "Your hair looks like a haystack … but I like it." Looking at him dubiously, Bella smiled and got out of the bed and gave him a hug as she replied, "Good morning, Edward."

"Morning," he said as he returned the hug. Letting go of him, she walked toward the door while whispering, "Charlie!"

"He left for work an hour ago – after reattaching your battery cables I might add," Edward replied, "I'm a little disappointed, if you really wanted to go somewhere, is that all it would take to stop you?" Bella's face fell into a thoughtful look; she wanted to return to his side so badly, but she knew that she had to get ready for a new day.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this confused in the morning," Edward stated as he held his arms open for her; an invitation that was nearly irresistible.

"I'll be needing another human minute," Bella admitted, rubbing the back of her left hand against her eyes.

"I'll wait for you," and with that Bella headed to the bathroom, as she brushed her teeth, she almost didn't recognize herself in the mirror; the person looking back at her most certainly did not look like her. The eyes were too bright and her cheeks had more of red tint to them. She couldn't believe that one person could make her feel like this. As she walked back into her room, it was almost like a miracle that he was still there, arms still waiting for her.

Once he realized that she was back, Edward smiled and pulled her against him while saying, "Welcome back." He held her in silence for a while until she noticed that he had changed clothes while she was sleeping.

"You left?" she inquired.

"I could hardly leave in the clothes I wore yesterday, now could I?" he replied chuckling. She smiled, and said, "I guess you couldn't."

"Don't worry; I didn't miss anything," Edward stated, "The talking came before I left." Bella groaned, and asked, "And what did you hear?" making his golden eyes go soft as he replied, "You said you loved me."

Bella smiled as she stated, "You knew that already."

"Just the same; it was nice to hear," he said making her smile and look him in the eye and say, "I love you."

"You are my life now," he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. After a bit, Edward threw Bella over his shoulder and carried her downstairs for breakfast. As she ate, Bella asked, "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Um," Edward started, he seemed to frame his answer carefully, "What would you say to meeting my family?" Bella gulped.

"Are you afraid?" he asked casually.

"Only a little bit."

"Don't worry," Edward replied as he smirked, "I'll protect you." Glaring at him, Bella said, "That's not funny. It's not them; it's that I'm afraid that they won't like me. Do they know that I know about them, and what I am?"

"Oh, yes, they know everything. They'd taken bets yesterday on whether or not I was going to bring back with me," Edward replied, "Though why anyone would bet against Alice is a mystery to me. That and we don't have secrets in the family; it's not really feasible with my mind reading, and Alice seeing the future."

"And don't forget Jasper making you feel all warm and fuzzy about spilling your guts," Bella added with a smile, making Edward smile back at her as he said, "You were paying attention."

"I've been know to once in awhile." Edward looked down at the bowl of cereal that she was eating, and asked, "Is that any good? It doesn't look very appetizing from here." Glaring at him again, Bella muttered, "Well, it's not an irritable grizzly," making him glare at her again before he continued, "And you should introduce me to Charlie, too."

"He knows you," Bella retorted, making him shake his head and say, "I mean as your boyfriend." Shaking her head, Bella sighed. She really didn't want to get on this topic with Charlie. Sure, the man wasn't her real father, but he was one of the closest things she had ever had to one in over 700 years, and this topic made her uncomfortable; she didn't like anything to do with boys and Charlie in the same sentence.

"Are you going to tell Charlie that I'm your boyfriend or not?" Edward asked raising an eyebrow.

"I guess I should," Bella said, internally cringing.

"Well, he'll need an explanation for why I'm going to be around here so much. I don't think getting a restraining order against me is a very good idea," Edward continued, never noticing that Bella's eyes were on him. Looking back at her, Edward asked, "Are you done?" to which Bella answered with a nod and she headed upstairs to get dressed for the day.

Bella had a hard time deciding what to wear. She was sure that there weren't any etiquette books detailing fashion when your vampire charge and sweetheart takes you home to meet his vampire family; though it was a relief that she could think the word to herself; she shied away from it intentionally. She ended up in a pair of dark blue jeans, and a kimono style top that had snowflakes painted on it that Edward had once complimented and her favorite black high heeled boots. Knowing that there wasn't much she could do with her hair, Bella pulled it back in a half way up and half way down style, braiding the sides as she pulled them back into a ponytail.

"Alright," Bella called downstairs, "I'm decent." Edward had been waiting at the bottom of the stairs; a little closer than she thought he was, and ended up bumping into him and would have fallen to the floor, but Edward steadied her before she could and held at a careful distance away before pulling her against him and whispered in her ear, "Wrong again. You are utterly indecent. No one should look so tempting; it's not fair." Bella shook her head as she placed her illusion spell over herself, her features returning to their human state. Taking Edward's hand in her own, Bella said, "Let's go."

Though Bella had been to his house before, Edward's home still made her breath still (Everything is exactly as it says in the book; I'm not going to even try to describe it); his house was extremely beautiful. Edward watched Bella's reaction to his home and said, "Do you like it?"

"It has a certain charm that I didn't notice before," she replied with a small smile as he was at her door opening it for her and said, "Ready?"

"Not even a little bit, but let's go," Bella answered. Edward chuckled as he took her hand and said, "Don't worry; you look lovely," as he lead her onto the porch and opened the door for her. Once inside, Bella immediately noticed Dr. Cullen and a female that she assumed was Esme, the only one in the family that she had not seen in real life before, only Edward's mind. Though she had met Dr. Carlisle Cullen when she was in the hospital after Tyler had almost hit her, Bella was still surprised by his youth. He must have been at least in his early twenties when he was bitten.

"Carlisle, Esme, this is Bella," Edward said as he broke the silence. Carlisle smile at her as he carefully came toward her, and said, "You're very welcome, Bella," and held out his hand. Bella stepped forward and shook his hand and replied, "Thank you, Dr. Cullen; it is a pleasure to see you again."

"Please, you can call me Carlisle." Bella smiled at him and said, "Thank you." Her sudden confidence surprised even her, and she could sense Edward's relief in his aura. Esme stepped forward next with a smile on her face as she took Bella's hand in her own and said, "It is wonderful to finally meet you, Bella. Edward has told us so much about you." If Edward could have blushed, Bella was certain that he would have as she replied, "Yes, it is wonderful to meet you too," and it was the truth.

"Where are Alice and Jasper?" Edward asked, but no one answered as they didn't have to, because they appeared at the top of stairs.

"Hey, Edward!" Alice called happily as she streaked down the stairs, Jasper following at a more slow pace, and stopped abruptly in front of Bella, Carlisle and Esme shot warning looks at her, but she ignored them as she said, "Hi Bella!" and kissed Bella's cheek, startling her, but it made her happy that Alice seemed to approve of her so entirely, even though she already knew that Alice absolutely adored her through their mental connection.

"You do smell nice; I never noticed that before," Alice continued, making Bella blush. Bella then looked at Jasper and said, "Hello Jasper."

"Hello, Bella, it is nice to finally meet you," he replied, making Bella smile, much to everyone else's surprise. Suddenly Carlisle's expression distracted Bella from any train of thought; he was gazing at Edward as if he had something to say, but then she realized that Carlisle was talking to Edward as Edward nodded once. She was broken from her train of thought when Alice said, "Edward told us that you use an illusion spell to look like you did when you were human, Bella, is that true?"

"Yes, it is true," Bella replied, taking off her illusion spell, revealing her true self. All of their eyes widened, except Edward's.

"Wow, you look really pretty," Alice gasped, making Bella laugh as she looked meaningfully at the grand piano that stood inconspicuously by one of the walls; only Esme noticed her preoccupation and asked, "Do you play?"

"Only a little; I haven't practiced in a while," Bella replied, "Is it yours?"

"No," Esme answered with a laugh, "Didn't Edward tell you that he was musical?"

"He didn't need to," Bella said, "I knew pretty much everything about him before I met him." All of their eyes, except for Edward's of course, looked at her skeptically, as she continued, "Angel thing," as she rolled her eyes, "I mean he can do everything right?"

"I hope you haven't been showing off, Edward, it's rude," Esme scolded.

"Just a little," he replied as he laughed. As Bella watched, the look on Esme's face softened at the sound and her eyes became brighter.

"He's been too modest actually," Bella corrected, "I can play if you want, though I haven't practiced in over 50 years," as she made her way over to the piano and took a seat on the bench and drifted her fingers over the keys. Edward moved to sit next to her, and said, "I didn't know that you could play piano."

"There's a lot of things that you don't know about me, Edward," Bella replied as she started playing a lullaby, "This is just one of them: I can not only play piano, but the violin as well." She then began playing a song that sounded familiar to Edward and Bella started to sing; the sound sounded like bells were chiming.

_For all those times you stood by me_

_For all the truth that you made me see_

_For all the joy you brought to my life_

_For all the wrong that you made right_

_For every dream you made come true_

_For all the love I found in you_

_I'll be forever thankful baby_

_You're the one who held me up_

_Never let me fall_

_You're the one who saw me through, through it all_

Edward recognized the song as Celine Dion's _Because You Loved Me_. He had always liked this song.

_You were my strength when I was weak_

_You were my voice when I couldn't speak_

_You were my eyes when I couldn't see_

_You saw the best there was in me_

_Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_

_You gave me faith 'coz you believed_

_I'm everything I am_

_Because you loved me_

"They like you, you know," Edward said and she nodded.

_You gave me wings and made me fly_

_You touched my hand, I could touch the sky_

_I lost my faith, you gave it back to me_

_You said no star was out of reach_

_You stood by me, and I stood tall_

_I had your love, I had it all_

_I'm grateful for each day you gave me_

_Maybe I don't know that much_

_But I know this much is true_

_I was blessed because I was loved by you_

"Esme especially," he continued, not caring that she wasn't answering.

_You were my strength when I was weak_

_You were my voice when I couldn't speak_

_You were my eyes when I couldn't see_

_You saw the best there was in me_

_Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_

_You gave me faith 'coz you believed_

_I'm everything I am_

_Because you loved me_

"_Rosalie and Emmett?"_ her voice rang in his head, surprising him until he remembered that she could talk to people with her mind.

_You were always there for me_

_The tender wind that carried me_

_A light in the dark shining your love into my life_

_You've been my inspiration_

_Through the lies you were the truth_

_My world is a better place because of you _

"Rosalie, I guess, is just jealous, though Emmett doesn't have a problem with you, Bella," Edward replied out loud.

"_Jealous of me?"_ her voice rang with skepticism through his head again as she continued singing.

_You were my strength when I was weak_

_You were my voice when I couldn't speak_

_You were my eyes when I couldn't see_

_You saw the best there was in me_

_Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_

_You gave me faith 'coz you believed_

_I'm everything I am_

_Because you loved me_

"I don't know why, Bella, I guess it's just she thinks you are more beautiful than her I guess." Edward replied shrugging his shoulders as the song continued.

_You were my strength when I was weak_

_You were my voice when I couldn't speak_

_You were my eyes when I couldn't see_

_You saw the best there was in me_

_Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_

_You gave me faith 'coz you believed_

_I'm everything I am_

_Because you loved me_

"_What did Carlisle tell you?" _her voice said in his mind and he said, "Noticed that did you?" and she nodded before he continued, "Alice just sees some visitors coming soon. They know that we're here, and they're curious." Bella nodded, already knowing what he meant by "visitors".

_I'm everything I am_

_Because you loved me_

_I'm everything I am_

_Because you loved me_

And the song ended and she turned to face him and he said, "Pretty good for someone who has supposedly not practiced for fifty years," making her smile at him. Edward took her hand led her through the house, when they came to Carlisle's office, he knocked and when Carlisle said come in, Edward said, "Come on, I want to show you something."

When they entered the office, the first thing Bella noticed was the painting that held three figures: all three were vampires, but unlike the Cullens, their eyes were ruby, two had dark hair and the other had white. Her eyes widened; though she knew that Carlisle had studied in Italy, she had no idea that the friends of his that he had found there the same coven that had taken her in when she was orphaned.

Noticing that Bella's attention was on a certain painting, Edward came up behind her and asked, "What has taken your attention so splendidly?"

"Remember the vampire coven that took me in after my clan was destroyed?" she asked looking at him with surprised eyes. His own eyes widened as he said, "Yes, why?" Unable to say anything more, Bella simply motioned her head towards the painting of the Volturi as what she was trying to tell him dawned on him.

"The coven that took you in was the Volturi?" Edward asked, disbelief written in his features. By now Carlisle, though she had thought that he had left, was standing behind her and asked, "What was that, Edward?"

"About 6 years after I was reborn as an Angel," Bella explained, "my clan, the Silver Angels, was completely destroyed. At that same time, the Volturi were passing through the area and found me; though Marcus is usually uncaring, he was able to convince Aro and Caius that they should take me with them. I'll never know exactly why he did it; I guess he saw something in me that he respected, but for five hundred years after that, Marcus sort of became my adoptive father with Aro and Caius as my uncles. They took care of me until one of the other clans of Angels came looking for me. I've visited them off and on in the last two thousand years, but I haven't been able to see them as much as I would like to."

"That blows my mind," Edward said, "Who would have thought that the Volturi would actually do something like that?"

"They're not as monstrous as you make them out to be, Edward," Bella scolded as Carlisle left the room, and Edward pulled her out of the office and led her to his room (everything is exactly the same as in the book). Edward took a seat on the black sofa by the window in his room and picked up a remote and turned his stereo on and a soft jazz number began playing; it sounded as if the band was right in the room with them. Turning around to look at him, Bella noticed that he was staring at her with a peculiar look on his face and said, "What?"

"I thought that I would feel … relieved that you knew everything; that I didn't need to keep secrets from you," he replied, "but I didn't expect to feel anything more than that; I like it. It makes me happy," and he smile slightly, making her smile in return. Suddenly Bella heard a thought in his head that she didn't like, and narrowed her eyes at him as she said, "You're waiting for me to run away from you while screaming, aren't you?" Edward's eyes went wide before a faint smile appeared on his lips and he nodded.

Glaring at him, Bella retorted, "Sorry to burst your bubble, buddy, but you're not as scary as you think you are; in fact, I don't find you one bit scary." Edward raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of disbelief, before he flashed a wicked smile that Bella didn't like and said, "You really shouldn't have said that," and crouched down, like a lion getting ready to pounce on its prey.

Raising an eyebrow and looking bored, Bella replied, "What are you going to do? Try to scare me? Go ahead; I dare you." Then Edward pounced, but landed on the floor as Bella had moved away from where she had been standing so quickly that he was sure that she was a vampire, but even then, she had moved faster than a vampire could, and was now leaning against to door with a cocky grin on her face, and was trying not to laugh. Edward growled and pounced again, but this time he was held in the air by some invisible force; this time Bella couldn't hold off her laughter at his bewildered expression. Walking up to him while smirking, Bella said, "See, you couldn't scare me if you tried," and gave him a kiss on the cheek before letting him down.

As she was about step away from him, Edward place his hands around Bella's forearms, holding her in place as he leaned forward and kissed her full on the mouth, making Bella's eyes widen before she closed them and gently kissed him back. As he pulled away, Edward asked, "How did you do that?"

"What? Hold in you in the air? Don't you remember what I said about telepathy? I can move things with my mind," Bella replied.

"What kinds of things?" Edward asked noticing that Alice and Jasper were standing in the slightly opened doorway with smirks on their faces. Suddenly the door opened all the way, startling both Alice and Jasper as Bella replied, "All kinds of things."

"Can we come in?" Alice asked as Edward nodded. Alice seemed to find nothing wrong with the way that Edward was now holding Bella, though Bella's cheeks were redder than they normally were. Her movements were so graceful as she walked in, Jasper slowly following, as she said, "It sounded as if you were having Bella for lunch, and we came to see if you would share," making Bella chuckle as Edward replied, "Sorry, I don't think that I have enough to spare," holding Bella tightly against his chest with his chin against her neck.

"Actually, Alice stays there's going be a real storm tonight," Jasper said smiling despite himself, "And Emmett wants to play ball. You game?" Bella could tell by his aura that Edward was excited; his eyes lit up, but there was also hesitation.

"Of course, you should bring Bella," Alice added. Suddenly Bella whipped her head around to look at Edward and said, "I'll go, but I'm not sitting on the sidelines. I'll play too," making Edward raise an eyebrow at her, so she elbowed him, making him gasp. The action made Alice and Jasper laugh as they left the room, closing the door behind them.

"So, baseball, huh?" Bella grinned.

"Do you even like baseball, Bella?" Edward asked, sarcasm heavy in his voice.

"It's the American pastime," Bella replied smirking.

It was just starting to rain when Bella pulled onto her street; at that time she had no doubt that he would be staying with her, but as she parked her car against the curb, Bella heard Edward whisper something intelligible in an aggravated voice. Sitting in Bella's driveway was an old black Ford, and Billy, Charlie's charge, and his son, Jacob Black standing on the porch, hiding from the rain. Bella had met Jacob once, on trip that she had taken to the beach on the La Push Reservation a few months ago, and had hit it off with him pretty well, though some of the thoughts that ran through his head sometimes were anything but friendly.

"This is crossing the line," Edward growled in a low, but furious voice. Ignoring Edward, Bella concentrated on Billy's thoughts before answering, "He's just here to see Charlie. They're best friends, and Billy is Charlie's charge, Edward. And apparently it doesn't look like he likes you very much."

"How could you tell?"

"By the glare he's giving you," Bella replied in a curt voice, "I'll get them inside, so you can go home."

"Don't forget: you have to prepare Charlie to meet your new boyfriend," Edward reminded her, making her throw him a dark look as she scowled and said, her voice laced with sarcasm, "Yeah, thanks for reminding me," making him smile as he laid a kiss on the edge of her jaw, making her blush as she got out of the car and walked up to the porch and said, Hi, Billy, Jacob, it's been a while. Charlie's gone for the day, I hope you haven't been waiting for too long."

"Not too long," Billy replied, "I just wanted to bring this up," indicating the brown paper sack that rested on his lap.

Bella smiled at him and said, "Thanks, why don't you come in and dry off for a bit?" opening the door and holding it open so that Billy, who was restricted to a wheelchair, could come in with Jacob pushing him. "Here, let me take that."

"You'll want to put that in the fridge," Billy said, "It's Harry Clearwater's homemade fish fry -- Charlie's favorite. It keeps it drier."

"Thank you," Bella replied as she did as he told her. Billy scrutinized her as he sent Jacob out to car to look for something.

"Bella, I've noticed that you're spending a lot of time with one of the Cullens," Billy started.

"Yes, what of it?"

"Bells, I know that it might not be any of my business, but I don't think that is such a good idea," he finished.

"You're right it isn't," Bella said, "but Edward Cullen is my charge, Billy, do you remember what that means?" Billy's eyes widened with understanding and he said, "I see," and fell silent as Jacob came back in and said, "Sorry, Dad, I couldn't find it; you must have left it at home." Billy nodded as he and Jacob left, leaving Bella to her thoughts. After a few minutes, when she knew they were gone, Bella headed up to her room to change out of her clothes. The first clothes that she tried on didn't do anything, but after a bit she got aggravated and just put on a pair of blue jeans, a dark blue t-shirt, and a dark blue hooded jacket that zipped.

It wasn't long until Bella heard Charlie's car pull up in the garage and not much longer after that that Charlie walked into the living room.

"Hey, Kiddo!"

"Hey, Charlie," Bella replied with a small smile, "Where's the fish?"

"I put it out in the freezer."

"Alright, I'll just go grab a few pieces before they freeze," Bella said, "Billy stopped by and dropped off some of Harry Clearwater's fish fry." Charlie's eyes lit up as she spoke and he said excitedly, "He did? That's my favorite," making Bella smile again as they sat down and ate dinner.

"So what did you do with yourself today?"

"Um, well, this afternoon, I just hung around the house," Bella said, "Only the recent part," she added in her thoughts before continuing, "This morning I was over at the Cullens'."

Charlie's eyes widened as he demanded, "And why were you over there?"

"I sort of have a date with Edward Cullen tonight and he wanted to introduce me to his parents," she replied, knowing when he was getting ready to rant and rave. But this time he surprised her by just sitting there with a dumbstruck look on his face as he said, "I thought you said that none of the boys in town were your type?"

"Its kind at an early stage, Charlie," Bella griped. The doorbell rang and both of them replace their illusion spells as Charlie answered the door to reveal Edward, drenched but still looking as much like a god as ever. After a little humor at Bella's expense, they were ready to go. Bella groaned when she saw that monster jeep that was parked behind her car and went and got in with Edward following, chuckling as he went.

"This is a very big jeep that you have, it's Emmett's isn't?" Bella inquired.

"Yes, I didn't think you would want to run the whole way," Edward replied, smirking the whole time. Bella was suddenly very nervous as he started the jeep. It wasn't long until Edward pulled off the road and down a mountain path. When he turned cut the engine, Edward turned to Bella and said, "Sorry, Bella, we're on foot from here." Bella rolled her eyes and undid the off-roading harness that had kept her in her seat for the whole ride, and opened the door, releasing her illusion spell as she went, and before Edward could say another word, Bella took of running. He was surprised to see that she ran faster than any other vampire he had ever seen and stayed in front of him until they arrived in the clearing where his family was waiting for them.

"Are you ready for some ball?" Emmett asked with a smirk. Reading his thoughts, Bella knew that he thought that she was a pushover while Rosalie just ignored her.

"Bring it on," Bella replied, her eyes gleaming, taking the bat from Emmett and throwing the baseball in the air and hitting it with a force that everyone could have thought that it would have knocked a tree over. Emmett eyed her warily; he would need this girl on his team. Edward watched Emmett closely, and said, "I don't think so, Emmett, I'm afraid Bella is on my team," making Emmett pout. Bella looked at him suspiciously, and said, "Um, okay, instead, how about we avoid a fight and I'll just watch this time."

They all nodded as if this was something they should have thought of. As they went to their places, Bella noticed how graceful they were; Edward, in particular, was like a cheetah, fast and powerful in his own right; it took her breath away.

"Shall we head down?" Esme asked in her quiet, musical voice and Bella nodded in agreement.

"You don't play with them," Bella asked as they walked towards the side of the field.

"No, I prefer to referee; I like keeping them honest," Esme explained.

"Ah, I see, so they like to cheat then?"

"Oh, yes, of course, you should hear the arguments they get into," Esme replied, "Actually, I hope you don't; you would think that they were raised by a pack of wolves."

"You remind me of my mother," Bella laughed, but at the mention her mother, her eyes quickly lost their usual sparkle. She, of course, meant her real mother; the one who had died to protect her.

"Yes, well, I do think of them as my children," Esme said, noticing the change in Bella's mood, "Edward was the first of my new sons, even if he's older than me in one way, and it's always been that way. That's why I'm happy he's found you, dear. He's been the odd man out for too long; you probably don't know how it's hurt me to see him alone."

"You don't mind, then," Bella said, hesitantly, "That I'm all wrong for him."

"No," Esme replied, quietly, "You are want he wants; I know that it will work out somehow." Bella could tell that Esme was beginning to get worried about her and though she wasn't sure, she could feel Edward's eyes on her, as if Esme had given Edward some sort of warning, because she could also sense worry in his aura as well as Esme's.

"Are you alright, dear?" Esme asked worriedly.

"I'm sorry, Esme, it always makes me sad when I think about my family," Bella explained sadly. Esme didn't say anything, obviously already knowing what Bella had been referring to. Instead of commenting, Esme turned away from her and said, "All right; Batter up."

And the game began. The score changed constantly and they razed each like street ballplayers as each team took turns in the lead, and occasion ally Esme would call them to order. Thunder rumbled on over the town, but we stayed dry, just as Bella had thought they would.

Carlisle was up to bat with Edward catching when both Alice and Bella gasped at the same. Alice and Bella looked at each other and instantly Bella was at Edward's side. Edward tried to read Alice's thoughts, but it wasn't coming in very clearly enough for him to understand it.

"Alice, Bella, what's wrong?" Carlisle asked.

"I couldn't see, I couldn't tell," Alice gasped.

"What is wrong, Alice?" Carlisle asked with a voice that was calm, but had an air of authority to it.

"They were traveling much quicker than I had originally thought," she replied, "I can see that I had the prospective wrong before."

"What's changed?" Jasper asked.

"They heard us playing and it changed their path," Alice replied never taking her eyes off Bella's face, and Bella kept eye contact with Alice.

"How soon?" Carlisle asked, turning toward Edward, who replied, "Less than five minutes, they want to play," while scowling. Carlisle didn't say anything except, "Can you make it?"

Edward shook his head and said, "The last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting."

"Just let them try and mess with me," Bella growled at him, her eyes flashing blue with anger, making him take a step back with wide eyes.

Emmett turned to Alice and asked, "How many?"

"Three."

"Three! Let' em come!" Emmett scoffed, the steel bands of muscle in his arms flexing. Carlisle deliberated until he decided that they should just continue the game. However this time, no hit harder than a bunt, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper hovered in the infield and Edward called it so that he could stay closer to Bella; now and then, she could feel Rosalie's eye her. They were expressionless, but something about the way the Rosalie held her mouth made Bella think that she was angry; as if it was Bella's fault that this was happening.

Edward paid no attention to the game now; his eyes and mind running through the forest as he sat on the ground in front of Bella and he muttered, "I'm sorry, Bella, it was stupid and irresponsible to expose you like this. I'm so sorry." Bella's eyes widened as she hugged him from behind, much to his surprise, and said, "Edward, I'm stronger than you give me credit for. Don't worry about me; it's you I'm supposed to be worried about." Before he could reply, a sound from the forest made him stand up and angle himself between Bella and whatever was coming as the others looked in the same direction.


End file.
